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March 8th, 2014
The nation’s top junior air-rifle shooters recently competed at the 2014 U.S. Army National Junior Air Rifle Championship hosted by the USAMU at the Pool Range Complex in Fort Benning, GA. Juniors (ages 14-18) competed for national titles in two divisions–Sporter and Precision — under the watchful eye of the USAMU’s shooter/instructors. More than $31,000 in endowment money was awarded to teams and individuals from the Georgia Youth Sport Shooting Foundation.
Ashley Durham and her JROTC teammates from Dalton McMichael High School in North Carolina, brought home the Sporter Division title. Durham led the way, adding the Sporter Division individual championship to her collection of trophies. David Sink, from Columbia, Md., took home top honors in the Precision Division while he and his teammates from Queen Anne’s 4-H won the Precision national team championship.
Taking time out from training for the upcoming competition season, USAMU soldiers from the International Rifle section provided instruction and mentorship for the competitors. “I shot this very competition when I was a junior,” said Sgt. 1st Class Hank Gray. “It was hosted by the [National] Guard back then. It’s rewarding to go from a competitor to host and do the same thing for the future generation of shooters.”
Competitors and USAMU instructors
Attendees said that the professionalism of the USAMU is what stood out the most at this year’s event. “Being here has been very uplifting,” said retired Air Force Master Sgt. Scott Davis, who brought the McMichael High team to the match. “The USAMU made it more than just a fun match — they provided a learning environment. They were the first to step in and show the kids how to do something[.]“
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March 8th, 2014
 In our article on Bullet Coating we covered the basic principles of applying dry lubricants to “naked” bullets. This article covered the three main coating options: Molybdenum Disulfide (Moly), Tungsten Disulfide (WS2 or “Danzac”), and Hexagonal Boron Nitride (HBN or “White Graphite”). All three compounds can be impact-plated on to bullets with relative ease, using inexpensive equipment. Moly is still the most popular choice, but many more shooters are considering HBN because it is ultra-slippery, it is less messy, and it offers some advantages over Moly or WS2.
After we published our Bullet Coating feature, many readers asked for more info on HBN. Some current moly users had questions about switching over to Boron Nitride. Forum member Larry Medler has published an excellent web article discussing the process of applying 70nm HBN using plastic jars and a Thumler’s rotary tumbler. If you are working with HBN currently, or plan to experiment with Boron Nitride, you should read Medler’s HBN-Coating Article.
After coating some bullets for his 6XC, Medler seems “sold” on the merits of HBN. Larry writes: “The coating process is much better than Moly — no black mess. My coating process times are the same as for Moly. Three hours of tumbling in the corn cob and three hours of tumbling in the steel balls with 3.0 grains of hBN Powder. The bullets look something like sugar-coated donuts when I dump the jar of steel balls with the freshly coated bullets into my sieve to separate. The coated bullets wipe clean to the touch with a little towel rub down and remain very slippery. So far I am very pleased with my coated bullets’ smoothness and appearance.”
Field Tests Are Very Promising
Interestingly, Larry’s HBN-coated bullets are shooting flatter, with tighter vertical, than his moly-coated bullets. Since he has also pointed the tips of this batch of bullets, it’s not clear whether the reduced drop is due to the pointing or the HBN coating, but the results are certainly encouraging: “I have shot the HBN-coated bullets a couple of times now at 600 yards and everything seems to be okay or a lot like Moly. Funny thing is the HBN-coated bullets are shooting higher by 7/8 MOA. I have to check the speed and see if it has changed enough for that POI change. Good news is I had a string of 15 shots with less than 1.5 inches of vertical which is the best I have ever seen with my rifles. Is that due to the hBN or bullet pointing?”
Photos courtesy Larry Medler, All Rights Reserved
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March 7th, 2014
Here are some great rifle-centric landscape images courtesy of Nightforce Optics. Perhaps these “gunscapes” will encourage you to grab your rifle and head out into the woods this weekend. These images are part of an ongoing series of rifle photos posted on the Nightforce Facebook page. Can you identify the optics, and any of the locations? To see a full-screen version of each image, just click on any photo, and a larger version will load.
CLICK Any Image for Larger View
Parting Shot…
This is NOT a Photoshop job — that’s the actual view through a Nightforce scope of a deer. Photographer (and rifle-owner) Brandon F. says: “Ya’ll might enjoy this picture of a Fort Hood white tail… 400m away.”
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March 7th, 2014
 Hunting and the shooting sports are under attack from forces trying to ban all ammunition containing lead. A coalition of anti-hunting groups has been trying to get the EPA to ban traditional ammo with lead in the bullets. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has been leading efforts to fight back, and protect your ability to use traditional rifle, pistol, and shotgun ammunition.
NSSF, the NRA, Safari Club International (SCI) and the Association of Battery Recyclers (ABR) have filed a joint brief supporting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rejection of a second attempt by a Center for Biological Diversity (CBD)-led coalition of anti-hunting groups to ban traditional ammunition. The CBD’s first attempt to ban the use of lead ammunition for hunting was denied by EPA in 2010 on the grounds the agency did not have the authority to regulate ammunition under the Toxic Substances Control Act. This decision was subsequently upheld by a Washington, D.C., federal court that dismissed CBD’s challenge. In 2012, the CBD and 100 other organizations filed a second, nearly identical submission that EPA rejected. CBD again sued and the case again was dismissed by the same federal court. The intervenors (NSSF, NRA, SCI, and ABR), have filed legal briefs arguing that CBD should not be able to circumvent procedural and jurisdictional requirements by resubmitting virtually the same petition less than two years after the submission of the first one. NSSF argues that CBD’s repetitive petitions and lawsuits constitute an abuse of administrative and judicial resources.
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March 7th, 2014
Are you looking to save money on a factory varmint or hunting rifle? Well Thompson/Center Arms (T/C) is currently offering a $75.00 rebate with the purchase of any new T/C Venture™ rifle. The mail-in rebate program will be available to consumers who purchase a T/C Venture rifle from January 25, 2014 through April 30, 2014 in the United States or Canada.
Consumers can choose from 16 different calibers ranging from the .204 Ruger to the big .338 Winchester Magnum. Made in America and backed by Thompson/Center’s lifetime warranty, the T/C Venture provides consumers with an affordable, value-packed hunting rifle.
Click HERE for Rebate Coupon
Lifetime Warranty, One MOA Group Size Guarantee
T/C Venture rifles come with a One Minute of Angle (MOA) accuracy guarantee, plus a full lifetime factory warranty. T/C Venture bolt-action rifles features a precision barrel with 5R rifling, a user-adjustable trigger, fat bolt design with 60-degree lift, composite stock featuring traction grip panels, QD sling swivel studs, and a single stack 3+1 detachable nylon magazine. Various models are offered, including the popular T/C Venture Predator with Realtree Camo finish.
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March 6th, 2014
Sebastian (“Seb”) Lambang is a really smart guy, a gifted machinist/fabricator, and a very innovative designer. If Seb worked in the auto industry, we’d probably all be driving flying cars by now.
Seb has just invented another really good product — a heavy, sand-filled mat for bipod use. We’ve christened this the ‘Pod-Pad™, and we think a lot of folks will want one. While the ‘Pod-Pad was designed for use with the SEB Joystick Bipod (“Joy-Pod”), it will work with other modern bipods (such as the Remple, the Sinclair, and the EVO). Inside the green fabric cover is sand plus a thin layer of neoprene. This allows the bipod feet to slide easily during recoil, and it also provides damping (and energy absorption) to reduce hop and torque.
Seb reports: “This is still a prototype mat, but I believe it works great. The carrying handle is the black belt in the middle of the mat, so it is easy to haul. There is a layer of 1/4″ thick neoprene under the slick microfiber on the top. This way the feet will slide smoothly and won’t sink, helping the rifle to maintain elevation. This heavy mat should be legal under the rules. It is not a rigid board, it can be folded.”
Watch Joystick Bipod (Joy-Pod) Used with NEW Sand-filled ‘Pod-Pad:
Seb tells us: “In this video, I am shooting my friend’s tactical rifle with the new Joy-pod, just to check how the bipod and mat work under recoil. The bipod and mat combo should work much better with a true F-TR gun. The new-generation Joy-pod has better internals and it’s more rigid. We should have the next shipment of Joy-pods ready around mid-April 2014″. Seb notes that the new Joy-pod has longer feet — more like actual skis. These can also be adjusted slightly for tilt/angle. The longer feet do seem to slide smoothly on recoil with much less hop.
The new generation Joy-pod will have a quick-detach (QD) option for mounting on a Picatinny rail. The quick-detach lever can be located on the right hand side (as shown above) or left hand side, tightening either forward or rearward as the shooter prefers.
For USA price list and more information, please contact:
Ernie Bishop
Gillette, WY
ernieemily @ yahoo.com
Phone: 307-257-7431
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March 6th, 2014
Here’s a handy training option for F-Class shooters. Forum member SleepyGator is an F-Class competitor, but it’s not convenient for him to shoot at long ranges close to home. Accordingly, he wanted some “reduced-distance” targets he could use at 300 yards for practice. There is an official reduced-distanced standard for 300-yard F-Class matches. This utilizes the NRA No. MR-63FC – F-Class Target Center which is pasted over the MR-63 target. It provides a 1.42″ X-Ring, 2.85″ 10-Ring, and 5.85″ Nine-Ring. (The dimensions of F-Class targets are found in the NRA High Power Rules, Sec. 22, part 4, page 70 — see sample below.)
CLICK HERE to Download F-Class 300-yard Target Centers (.Zip archive with three targets)
To duplicate the 300-yard target, SleepyGator has prepared a printable version of the MR-63FC Target Center, along with a pair of training targets with two bulls and five bulls. The two-bull and five-bull targets mirror the scoring rings on the MR-63FC, but they display only the innermost three rings and two rings respectively. All three targets are Adobe Acrobat files that can be easily printed. You may need to adjust the scale (sizing) on your printer to get the dimensions exactly correct. As noted above, when printed, the 10-Ring on all three targets should measure 2.85″. This should provide some handy practice targets you can use between matches. Thanks to SleepyGator for providing these targets. You can download all three as a .Zip archive. After downloading the .Zip file, just click on the .Zip archive to extract the individual targets.
CLICK HERE to Download NRA High Power Rules with F-Class Target Dimensions
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March 6th, 2014
 Here’s a “heads up” for our Shooters’ Forum members. On Saturday, March 8, we plan to upgrade our Forum server. As a result, the Forum will be unavailable (offline) for 3-4 hours on Saturday, March 8, starting at about 10:00 am Central Time. Don’t worry, when the upgrade is completed, there will be no change in format or layout. The Forum will look the same and navigation will be unchanged.
We are upgrading to increase horsepower — moving to a server with a much faster processor, more storage, and 8 times more RAM. We hope you’ll see a difference in Forum speed, particularly during peak traffic periods. You should notice that searches run faster. During the upgrade process the Forum will be offline (not available) for 3-4 hours (if things go according to plan). There is a chance we might be offline for a longer period if there are unanticipated issues.
How You Can Help — Please Delete Your Old Private Messages
There’s a simple thing Forum members can do to help the Forum run faster and better — “pruning” your old private messages (PMs). Many thousands of Forum members are each retaining scores of private messages that are many years old. All those stale messages represent millions of database entries. Those millions of old PMs slow down the database and increase the load on our servers.
Please help us out by getting rid of your private messages more than six months old. This is a super-simple process you can do in a few seconds. The process is explained in this Forum Thread about Private Messages. Pruning your old PMs will help streamline the database, AND it will make your personal message archive open more quickly.
CLICK HERE for Instructions on How to Delete Your Old Forum Private Messages
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March 5th, 2014
Guest Article By Michelle Gallagher, Berger Bullets
Let’s face it. In the world of firearms, there is something for everyone. Do you like to compete? Are you a hunter? Are you more of a shotgun shooter or rifle shooter? Do you enjoy running around between stages of a timed course, or does the thought of shooting one-hole groups appeal to you more? Even though many of us shoot several different firearms and disciplines, chances are very good that we all have a favorite. Are we spreading ourselves too thin by shooting different disciplines, or is it actually beneficial? I have found that participating in multiple disciplines can actually improve your performance. Every style of shooting is different; therefore, they each develop different skills that benefit each other.
How can cross-training in other disciplines help you? For example, I am most familiar with long-range prone shooting, so let’s start there. To be a successful long-range shooter, you must have a stable position, accurate ammunition, and good wind-reading skills. You can improve all of these areas through time and effort, but there are other ways to improve more efficiently. Spend some time practicing smallbore. Smallbore rifles and targets are much less forgiving when it comes to position and shot execution. Long-range targets are very large, so you can get away with accepting less than perfect shots. Shooting smallbore will make you focus more on shooting perfectly center shots every time. Another way to do this with your High Power rifle is to shoot on reduced targets at long ranges. This will also force you to accept nothing less than perfect. Shoot at an F-Class target with your iron sights. At 1000 yards, the X-Ring on a long range target is 10 inches; it is 5 inches on an F-Class target. Because of this, you will have to focus harder on sight alignment to hit a center shot. When you go back to the conventional target, you will be amazed at how large the ten ring looks.
Also, most prone rifles can be fitted with a bipod. Put a bipod and scope on your rifle, and shoot F-TR. Shooting with a scope and bipod eliminates position and eyesight factors, and will allow you to concentrate on learning how to more accurately read the wind. The smaller target will force you to be more aggressive on your wind calls. It will also help encourage you to use better loading techniques. Nothing is more frustrating than making a correct wind call on that tiny target, only to lose the point out the top or bottom due to inferior ammunition. If you put in the effort to shoot good scores on the F-Class target, you will be amazed how much easier the long-range target looks when you return to your sling and iron sights. By the same token, F-Class shooters sometimes prefer to shoot fast and chase the spotter. Shooting prone can help teach patience in choosing a wind condition to shoot in, and waiting for that condition to return if it changes.
Benchrest shooters are arguably among the most knowledgeable about reloading. If you want to learn better techniques about loading ammunition, you might want to spend some time at benchrest matches. You might not be in contention to win, but you will certainly learn a lot about reloading and gun handling. Shooting F-Open can also teach you these skills, as it is closely related to benchrest. Benchrest shooters may learn new wind-reading techniques by shooting mid- or long-range F-Class matches.
 Position shooters can also improve their skills by shooting different disciplines. High Power Across-the-Course shooters benefit from shooting smallbore and air rifle. Again, these targets are very small, which will encourage competitors to be more critical of their shot placement. Hunters may benefit from shooting silhouette matches, which will give them practice when shooting standing with a scoped rifle. Tactical matches may also be good, as tactical matches involve improvising shots from various positions and distances. [Editor: Many tactical matches also involve hiking or moving from position to position -- this can motivate a shooter to maintain a good level of general fitness.]
These are just a few ways that you can benefit from branching out into other shooting disciplines. Talk to the other shooters. There is a wealth of knowledge in every discipline, and the other shooters will be more than happy to share what they have learned. Try something new. You may be surprised what you get out of it. You will certainly learn new skills and improve the ones you already have. You might develop a deeper appreciation for the discipline you started off with, or you may just discover a new passion.
This article originally appeared in the Berger Bulletin. The Berger Bulletin blog contains the latest info on Berger products, along with informative articles on target shooting and hunting.
Article Find by EdLongrange.
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March 5th, 2014
 The new 35th Anniversary Edition Blue Book of Gun Values is now available for pre-order. To ensure you get your copy as soon as it is released on April 11, 2014, pre-order now.
2500 Pages, 175,000 Prices
1500 Manufacturers, 20,000 Gun Models
The Blue Book of Gun Values, by S. P. Fjestad, covers 1,500 manufacturers and trademarks, with almost 20,000 gun model descriptions, and over 175,000 price listings. This new Anniversary Edition contains significantly updated values and information. New 2014 makes and models have been included, along with updated values on discontinued and antique firearms. Features of the latest 35th edition of the Blue Book include pricing updates on major trademark current, antique, and discontinued models, including Colt, Winchester, and Sturm Ruger. You’ll also find extensive information on nearly 200 AR-15 and AK-47 manufacturers and importers. This unique resource contains more values, more listings, and more history than any other firearms guide on the market, by far.
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The Anniversary 35th Edition of the Blue Book boasts over 2,500 pages, easily giving it the highest page count of any firearms book currently in print. For 2014, new domestic and imported makes and models have been included. All gun values have been thoroughly updated for both modern and antique firearms, including the paramilitary style guns. Other features include the 80-page color Photo Percentage Grading System (PPGS) and serialization and proofmark sections to help in identifying firearms. The Blue Book of Gun Values is the firearm industry’s most trusted reference book with over 1.6 million copies in print.
CLICK HERE to Order Blue Book 35th Anniversary Edition |
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March 4th, 2014
 A great episode of Impossible Shots runs tomorrow (March 5) on the Outdoor Channel. This particular episode won an award for Best Shooting Sports broadcast. To start off, the legendary Jerry Miculek tries out a new, high-capacity shotgun (used for 3-gun matches). Jerry takes his new scattergun (right out of the box), and sets a new speed-shooting record with it. Not to be outdone, in the next sequence, SSG Josh Richmond of the USAMU juggles and shoots multiple targets with his scattergun. SSG Richmond, USA Shooting’s Shotgun Athlete of the Year, has won Gold Medals at various World Cups around the world. He is one of the best double trap shooters on the planet.
Miculek Speed Drills with M&P 15
If you wonder how fast a self-declared “old guy” can be, watch this video of Jerry Miculek with a semi-automatic M&P 15 (AR-type) rifle he uses in 3-gun competition. Jerry puts five (5) rounds on target in just over one-half second. It sounds like full-auto fire, but if you watch the slow-motion playback sequences (timeline 0:50-1:12 and 1:34-1:53) you can see Jerry pull the trigger five times. Jerry’s “on-target” time for five shots was a mere 0.59 seconds (fifty-nine one-hundredths of a second)! To capture the rapid cycling of the rifle, the primary high-speed camera operated at 3600 frames per second. This allows “super slow-motion” playback that shows what really happens in the blink of an eye.
Jerry Miculek Fires Five Rounds in 0.59 Seconds
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March 4th, 2014
 Ah, the power of hindsight. I guess we all wish we’d snapped up some shares of Sturm, Ruger & Co. (NYSE:RGR) a few years back. While Ruger’s stock price has come down from its high of 85.93 in mid-January 2014, Ruger stock has still risen more than 400% over the past three years (since January 2011).
Why has Ruger stock risen so far, so fast? Just look at the numbers. Ruger is selling all the guns the company can build. The latest sales figures are remarkable. Ruger just announced that 2013 sales were up 40 percent over 2012. Earnings increased 55 percent for 2013 compared to 2012.
The company said new product introductions were a significant component of sales growth, representing 29 percent of firearm sales in 2013. New product introductions during the year included the LC380 pistol, SR45 pistol, Ruger American Rimfire rifle (below), SR-762 rifle, and Red Label II shotgun. Ruger also noted that in the fourth quarter it began to manufacture a limited quantity of rifles at its recently acquired 220,000 square foot facility in Mayodan, North Carolina. Firearm production at the Mayodan facility is expected to increase during 2014.
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